Sappy

Sap wells drilled by… a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, presumably. The birds will lap up the sap and any insects attracted to the slightly sweet liquid. Other birds may gather at such wells to eat the insects that are also attracted to the sap.

This insect gathering is, of course, mostly a non-winter habit.

This winter, there are damn few other birds in Green-Wood. I haven’t seen/heard a Chickadee or Nuthatch (the latter has been reported by others). On Saturday, when I was in there for four hours, I didn’t even come across any Juncos, although I have seen them this season. It’s Blue Jays, Blue Jays, Blue Jays, with the occasional woodpecker and raptor. Even Cardinals are in short supply.

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1 Response to “Sappy”

HI I’ve noticed the exact same thing up here in the laurentians 1 hour north of Montreal. Lots of blue jays and woodpeckers but not much else. We even had a sick junco hanging around for a weeks before it succumbed. Some chickadees but on the whole the forest is quit. And I have several hundred acres of bush around us. I appreciate your newsletter keep up the great work